70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

As usual, the first list of names of those who were summoned up the hill proved incorrect. It is possible that they were summoned, but not all were detained. Six, however, have not been allowed back, and enquiries from Gimson have received the reply that these men have been arrested on definite charges, the nature of which will be notified to the camp Commandant (Gimson) later – presumably when they are brought up for trial. In the mean time the probable charges held against them have been guessed at. These are that Reece (of Cable and Wireless) was in possession of a wireless set.

The story goes that the Japanese arrived at his block with a blue print plan of his room, marking the exact spot where the wireless was hidden. If that is true, it must have been the work of a ‘Fifth Columnist’ in this camp. It is known, almost for certain, that there are two or three such odious people in camp; or at least, our police here are doing a spot of detective work and are keeping watch on certain suspected persons. One of the Chinese supervisors is certainly suspected. Needless to say, no wireless set was found in Reece’s room – or so I hear. Anderson (of Govt stores) is supposed to be charged with receiving wireless parts in parcels sent from town. There is the story of a valve buried in a tin of jam. There are other stories of other people receiving money in grease proof packets at the bottom of tins of lard etc. Apparently, these things got through alright, but the recipients hadn’t the sense to keep their mouths shut about it and, apparently, confided the news to friends who confided it to other friends who, evidently in their eagerness to tell a good story, either spoke too loudly, or chose the wrong person in whom to confide. At all events, the other four are supposed to have been guilty of sending messages illicitly to town or receiving illicit goods. These four are: Scott (Police), Hall (Lane Crawford), Bradley (Sanitary Dept UDC) and someone named Want. Poor Eileen Hall is really in rather a state by now. Her husband was taken off in just the shirt, shorts and shoes he was wearing and nothing has been allowed to be sent to him since. I am not quite sure where they are being detained, but I imagine it is in the prison.

Last Saturday, I received a Red Cross form with a 25 word message from Betty. It was dated 13th January 1943 and is one of the latest messages received in camp that I have heard of. It just stated that they were all well, including Mother, Father, Aunt E and the Morrises, and that the Crowleys had received Y’s letter. We had heard all that before in the letters, but Betty had evidently found that she could send us a message by the Red Cross and had sent this very welcome note in case none of their letters had got through. She had written it in script. Several of the Red Cross forms have come in all together, some dated January 1942! The Colonial Sec. is enquiring if we can send the 25 word reply for which provision is made on the back of the sheet. I wonder if the Red Cross forms we were allowed to write ages ago ever reached their destinations.